Supporting the Whole Child in Ohio Schools

The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

The health and well-being of a child dictates the likelihood of their success in school. It is why the Ohio Department of Education adopted the Whole Child Framework. It\'s also the fundamental premise underlying Say Yes Cleveland, which provides support services for students beyond the classroom and the school day. Put simply, the framework ensures a student is supported, safe, healthy, and engaged in the classroom and community.\r\n\r\nHowever, our nation is currently witnessing an unprecedented youth mental health crisis. Experts point to a number of causes--social media, academic stress, the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasing poverty. The situation has become so dire, that the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory in December 2021 urging a response. Add to this that certain approaches to mental health support, including social-emotional learning, are becoming a lightning rod in the culture wars inside American classrooms, hampering what many experts believe to be a common sense intervention.\r\n\r\nIs the whole child platform the solution to combat this crisis? And what can we learn from schools that have implemented this framework? Join our panelists as they discuss the solutions to ensure all students have the ability to succeed.